Nick & Kelsey are Married in the Temple

Nick and Kelsey were sealed for time and all eternity in the Chicago Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints tonight.  It was a beautiful ceremony and we are so very grateful to have Kelsey join our family in this way.  What a rich blessing she is to our family.  Ironically this date is the anniversary of "we are dating" 6 years ago way back in high school for them.  None of could have possibly imagined things would have turned out the way they have - but we sure are glad that they did!

Merry Christmas to all!

So this year we decided on a basic card for Christmas and let everyone catch up with our lives on my blog.  Actually it was Matt's idea - little did he know how far behind I am on blogging.  Here are some of the major things happening in our lives - your virtual Christmas letter.  I have been homeschooling our girls for the past year and a half.  We absolutely love it.  It has provided our family so many opportunities of growth, learning and togetherness that we just would not have been able to have otherwise.  Elizabeth is in 4th grade, Cierra - 2nd and Rylee - 1rst.  This year we started doing a virtual program and do 1/2 of our work in book and 1/2 online.  The girls have been able to meet people from all over the US in virtual classrooms.  Although it has become my full time job and I have little time to do many of the things I had hoped when "they were in full time school" - I seriously wouldn't change it for all the finished scrapbooks that a scrapper could dream of.  Each girl is thriving in their studies and they think their teacher is well, OK most days ;-)  Isabella is at a fun age and although at 2 1/2 is just starting to talk she has had no trouble communicating exactly what she wants at all times.  Matt and I are doing well - our lives are busy just trying to keep up with our children, grandchildren and make sure at the end of the week we still recognize the person sitting next to us at the dinner table.  We are so grateful for the change in our lives and our perspective made by the gospel of Jesus Christ.  An eternal perspective helps keep life and whatever it brings, joyous.  We hope that you too feel of our Saviors love during this special time that we celebrate his birth.  Our love to all.  Feel free to catch up on more details of our lives by reading recent and older posts on our blog and check back from time to time - I am promising to keep it updated this year!

Family Pictures

The Entire Family

Matt & I with our youngest crew - Elizabeth, Cierra, Rylee and Bella - listed by                                              age so at this point height as well!

All my children - I love these                                          beauties so!

Nicholas and Kelsey

Andrea and Jimmy and the cutest grandchildren in the world - Brooklyn & Kaydence

My youngest Girls

Isabella 2 years

Rylee 6 years

Cierra 8 years

Elizabeth 10 years

Andrea does all of our pictures.  Just gorgeous.  For very many, many reasons I am grateful Andi is my daughter - one of my most recent is because if she wasn't I would have to be jealous of her talents.  As her mother I can just simple enjoy them and grow in pride.

The Love of My Life

These are the first pictures Matt and I have taken with just us since we were married almost 25 years ago.  I got in the habit long ago of putting many things before us as a couple.  It is not that I didn't think we were important - actually the opposite, I just took for granted that we could always make up that time when we didn't have small children, then teenagers, demanding callings, .... But in the last couple of years I have started to change that thinking.  Every relationship takes nourishment - every single one, even if you are eternal companions who have been together longer than you have not.  Going on regular dates, not having our bedroom be a storage area but rather a nicely decorated place where a couple can actually feel peace and relax at the end of the day, implementing forgiveness and understanding, staying up talking, making a sacrifice just so the other can smile or have something they really wanted ... all these things make such a huge difference and only work to enhance the great relationship we already have.
I love this man.  He is patient and kind, he is giving and understanding.  He is tender and although comes across as uptight to many, underneath he is just trying to make everything good for as many people as he possibly can.  I do not pretend to understand how we came to find each other at such a young age or attempt to comprehend the miracle of how we have stayed together and grown in love against all odds.  I believe with all that my heart that both are nothing short of a miracle.  I am so grateful that we have been so watched over.  Our life together has become more than I could have ever dreamed of and although to many it may seem as though I am just an ordinary woman living an ordinary life ... my life with this man makes me feel like I am the most beautiful woman, living an extraordinary life as a queen in the biggest castle on the tallest hill in all the lands of the earth.

Two of my Favorite people

So this is my brother Judd and his partner if life (and crime) Jen.  We had a rare day to hang out together without children.  Although we didn't do anything earth shattering, it will be a day I never forget.  It was just awesome to hang out together.  To talk without being interrupted.  To do what we wanted to do when we wanted to.  In retrospect we didn't really choose to do anything that we wouldn't have done without children, it was just nice to have the option.  We ended up at this farm where Judd picked raspberries (even after several hard freezes) sneakily, then asked permission and even though was told no kept asking until they said yes.  Just makes me laugh to think of it.  As you can tell from the pic, Jen is full of life and fun.  I just couldn't imagine my life without them in it.

Picking Pumpkins

We know this great couple who is older now but still plants a garden like they have a young family.  They give away everything they don't use which is more than half since they plant more than an acre of "crops".  We started a few years ago helping them pick their pumpkins.  This year it was raining and a bit cold but without complaint the girls put on their garden boots and picked away.  Grandma Gretchen and Uncle Judd and Nanny Jen came with and we picked about 400+ pumpkins.  It was a messy but great day!

Elizabeth's 10th Birthday

So this extra special thing happened on Elizabeth's birthday - besides the miracle of her.  Matt found out that a group of students were going to light lanterns on campus.  We decided to go and watch.  It was windy and cold and the lighting was slow going but cool to watch none the less.  On our way in the car a couple stopped us and asked us if we wanted a lantern of our own.  We found out later that this was Elizabeth's birthday wish.  We took the lantern home, lit it and sent it off with a wish from every girl.  The night was late and it was cold but all of our daughters and granddaughters will always remember the night we lit a lantern like Tangled and let it go with a wish!

Daddy's Bread

So for those of you that don't know Matt loves to make bread.  He started doing it to relax - something about kneading the dough.  We love the outcome regardless - as a matter of fact Bella will only eat Daddy's bread.  Anyway, one afternoon Andi, Jimmy and the girls were over and all 6 girls helped Daddy/Grandpa make breadsticks for dinner.  I was glad that Matt didn't care about the mess and just basked in the moment and enjoyed the "help" he received.

Busy Barns Fun Day

Bella and the bunny

Bella and Elizabeth on a horse ride

Cierra wouldn't let go of the kittens

Rylee with the calf

Brooklyn in the tube slide

Andi and I met at Busy Barns Farm for a home school day.  The girls could have moved in there! So much to do from jumping off hay mounds, playing in tube slides, feeding and holding animals, watching animals, going on a hay ride, picking pumpkins ... We hope to make it an annual event.

Camping in Michigan

Painted Rock, Michigan

So Matt, the girls, Uncle Judd and I went to the UP camping for a week.  It was a lot of fun and so relaxing. The girls swam in Lake Superior (yes even in the 2nd week in September), collected rocks, did some remote/hike in camping, canoeing and all around just great time.